St Thomas or St John
I have been a long time follower of TTOL, and have often read post asking St Thomas or St John, which is the right island? Well over the last 18 months my wife and I have been lucky enough to visit frequent and often. So I decided to try to answer some of the most frequently asked questions and hope it may even simulate more questions. The links to the pictures will help in your own assessment, and try to better describe my comment. Of course these are my opinions… Comments welcomed!
Assuming this is going to be your first visit to America’s Paradise your first glimpse of either of these islands will be from the airplane window of
STT. Upon your arrival it is essential to embrace an expression that I am sure you will hear over your stay, [color:"blue"]
“No Worries”.[/color] The sooner you adapt the quicker and easier you will begin a stress free vacation. STT and STJ, like most islands in the Caribbean, move a different pace. Not necessarily slow - just different. What you perceive as important may not be given the same attention you think is warranted. And all you need to do is smile and say “No Worries”.
One’s first impression from a
rent-a-car or taxi can be quite revealing. As you come into Charlotte Amalie the sights and sounds are familiar, but everything is very different! As you take everything in remember when
driving or crossing the street is you are not in the United States. Driving in STT can be challenging because of the amount of
cars and lack of parking, while in STJ the traffic is lite, but ooh some of those
roads! If you are in a taxi trying to bust over to Red Hook to catch the STJ ferry remember a ferry leaves on the hour till 11 PM. So if you miss it - What do you say? That’s right [color:"blue"]
“No Worries”.[/color]
We have rented cars on STT from Budget and Best Cars in STJ – We were happy with both. We have never used the car ferry, just rented cars on the primary island we were staying on. Remember STT and STJ are geographically very close so it is very easy to go back and forth as needed on the ferry.
Most everyone headed to the USVI is most interested in BEACHES. Hands down I think the beaches in STJ are better than those in STT. However there are great and mediocre beaches on both.
Our two favorite beaches for ultimate relaxation, blue water, and usually fairly private - the vote has to go to:
Linquist on STT and
Maho on STJ. With
Maho being our favorite.
Our two least favorite beaches have a common theme.
Megan's Bay(STT) and
Trunk Bay (STJ). They are just too crowded for our taste. Between the hours of 9 am to 3 pm they are invaded by day visitors off the cruise ships. Not complaining - the cruise ship industry is very important to the islands and if you truly want peace and quiet the hordes of people can be easily avoided.
All around favorite beach to hang is probably
Honeymoon on STJ. The beach is fairly quiet and offers lots of
sun or shade. There is good snorkeling on both ends of the beach and it is just a short hike (approx 1.5 mi) from Cruz Bay. Usually we catch a taxi to Caneel Bay and follow the trail to Honeymoon then walk back to town on the National Park trail. And to answer the questions from those visiting from the SXM TTOL page – Read the
sign!
For after hours and winding down time I think STT would offer more to most. Once again there are plenty of fun places in STJ. After a day on the beach in STJ we always enjoy stopping by
Woody's for one of the best happy hours ever. On STT in the evening
Sochoppy's Pub can be fun because it is more of a local crowd and there can be some very interesting characters at the bar. Also on STT there is Latitude 18, which again is more of a local’s haunt, and on Tuesday nights it is open mic night. Probably my least favorite place is
Duffy's. It is a little too loud, in the middle of a parking lot, and I am not real fond over oversized drinks with umbrellas and assorted paraphernalia in the glass.
Maybe more later on shopping, dining, the greatest faux pax, and assorted other things if there is interest. But one thing for sure no matter which island you choose for your escape you will have an urge to
write in the sand….
